Every day, the New York Times Spelling Bee challenges word lovers to stretch their imagination and vocabulary. Today’s puzzle was particularly fun, featuring I as the center letter and surrounding letters M, C, H, U, K, N. At first, the hive looked consonant-heavy, but once I started piecing combinations together, the delightful pangram MUNCHKIN came into view—a playful word that makes the effort worthwhile.

Step 1: Beginning With the Center Letter

The golden rule of Spelling Bee is simple: every word must contain the center letter. With I in the middle, I began pairing it with available consonants. Words like ink, kin, him, chi, and nick quickly surfaced. These short entries provide a good starting rhythm and are often the stepping stones to longer finds.

Step 2: Spotting Easy Short Words

Next, I went through the obvious three- and four-letter options. With the balance of consonants and just two vowels (I and U), the combinations were a bit restrictive but still fruitful:

• ink, kin, him, chi, mic, nick, mink, kick, hick.

This gave me a foundation to keep building.

Step 3: Looking for Patterns

The next step was finding recurring patterns. With this hive, two strong ones stood out:

• -ick ending: kick, nick, hick, chick.

• ch- starter: chin, chip, chick.

By chasing these, I quickly grew my word list and set my mind searching for something longer.

Step 4: Discovering the Pangram – MUNCHKIN

The turning point came when I noticed the “much” cluster could work. Extending it with available letters, munch appeared, and from there, adding kin gave the magical pangram MUNCHKIN.

It’s such a satisfying find—both whimsical and powerful. The word instantly brought to mind fairy tales and fantasy creatures, and it neatly tied together almost every letter in the hive.

Step 5: Expanding the Word List

Once the pangram was in hand, I circled back to systematically sweep the hive. Here’s the word list that emerged:

Word List

4-letter words:

• mink
• nick
• hick
• kick
• inch
• chin
• muck
• chic

• chick
• chink
• munch
• cinch
• cumin
• mimic
• minim

• chichi
• kimchi
• unkink
• nickum

• Pangram: munchkin
• minimum

(Note: The official NYT list may vary slightly depending on which rare or slang words they accept.)

Step 6: What Today’s Puzzle Teaches

Today’s hive was a reminder that even when a puzzle looks consonant-heavy, there’s usually a clever pangram hidden inside. The trick was focusing on clusters like ch- and endings like -ick, which naturally led toward longer words. Once munch appeared, it was only a small leap to the full pangram munchkin.

Puzzle Reflections

September 12, 2025, was a puzzle that blended challenge and playfulness. While the shorter words like ink and nick provided the groundwork, the discovery of the pangram munchkin was the highlight—rewarding and joyful.

The puzzle encourages persistence: start small, look for repeating patterns, and keep testing unusual combinations. Sometimes the best words are hiding in plain sight.

Tomorrow’s hive will bring new letters and a fresh pangram waiting to be uncovered. Until then, enjoy today’s win and let the wordplay keep your mind sharp.